mm
Whole No. 433.
Tavbovough, (Edgecombe County, X. C.) Tuesday, December 1 1, 1832.
Vol. IX No. 16.
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UV'ttEORGE HOWARD,
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The following article has been on hand some
time, but we could not conveniently insert it un
til now. The queries referred to appeared a?
original in this paper we were subsequently in
formed that they were copied from Mrs. Roy
all's "Paul Pry." Ed. Free Pmi
FOR TIIE FREE TRESS.
Mr, Editor: In looking over your pa
per of the 2d Oct. my eyes glanced at se
veral queries, given to some preacher of
the gospel; by answering which, it is
said, "his kindness would much oblige a
sincere seeker for the truth." We had
believed that in this age of gospel light,
it would have been difficult to find any
man, who would be disposed to quibble
with the voice of revelation, as we think,
the author of these queries has. The
sincere seeker for divine truth generally
manifests his desire, not by making a di
ligent search for obscure passages in the
volume of revelation, which may be cal
culated to obstruct the attainment of it,
but by a rigid adherence to the plain pre
cepts of the gospel. When a man be
comes desirous of obtaining knowledge
of any science, does he at once meddle
with the most abstruse parts of that sci
ence! or rather does he not commence
with the most plain and simple, and gra
dually rise as his knowledge becomes
enlarged and he is able more fully to un
derstand all its parts? Has the seeker
for the truth fully considered that the
word, which he presumes to doubt, is the
word of infallible truth? lias he calmly
examined its truths? lias he for once
carefully read its soul-converting page?
lias his life been in unison with its pre
cepts; brought under its influence and gui
ded by its truths? Has he diligently read
it and compared one truth with another?
or may we not fear that his reading has
been with a view, not to discover its
beauties or feel its blessed influence, but
to find out if possible something which
would derogate from its divine authenti
city and thereby lull him to sleep in his
state of unbelief; as an object unworthy
the regard of his maker, or as one whose
powers of ratiocination are sufficient to
mark out the path which will secure
eventually all that his heart desires. We
are not disposed to censure our fellow
men and particularly to judge of the mo
tives by which they are actuated; but
from the questions before us, we do think,
that he, the author of them, labors under
a delusion or is actuated by a spirit ini
mical to divine revelation.
Every thing necessary to the future well
being of man is plainly revealed in the
bible, still we must confess that there are
"some things hard to be understood,
which they that arc unstable and un
learned wrest to their own destruction."
Although there are depths and heights in
the inspired volume which the conceptivc
powers of man will never be able fully to
fathom; yet it is indeed a book fraught
with that instruction which we need, and
guided by its light we may make our jour
ney safe from this abode of trial to a state
of rest. Here the true character of man
is described, his duties made plain and
ho that reads attentively may be enlight
ened: and in it his final destiny is pro
claimed. And although we find him in
his present state wretched and miserable,
yet here is a way marked out by which he
may be saved from misery and though
subject to death, he may be ransomed
rom the power of the grave and enjoy
the felicitous mansions of glory. While
this will be the happy inheritance of the
true believer, the unbeliever, the mocker
mid the finally impenitent must be forev
er deprived of the enjoyment of happi
ness and feel as the consequence, the ac-
flcrin of an eternal world.
We would now examine the proposed
queries, which we trust will be answered
satisfactorily to every unbiassed seeker
for the truMi. In the scripture we have
more than once, repentance applied to
the Supreme Being. We consider with
regard to that repentance which is pro
duced by sorrow for sins committed, that
it cannot at all be applicable to the Su
preme Being: nor can it in any case
where it is mentioned be so understood
as to impeach the immutability of life na
ture. When spoken of as in the query
which is taken from the vi. chat), of Gp...
esis, we infer, and we think justly too
mm mc expression is taKen from the
ite capacities of man, which, wotdd be
unable to understand the term if other
language was used than that which is ac
commodated to his understanding. We
understand by it, that the relation in
winch man stood to his maker, had be
come changed and consequently it called
for his displeasure, and thus the idea sug
gests itself to us of the determination on
the part of God to destroy man which he
had created; and as the creature man,
had shared the chief regard of the Eter
nal, wo should conclude, humanly speak
ing, from these circumstances, it would
produce sorrow or grief at heart. It is
intended to show that iho creature thus
changing his relation, still stood in the
merciful regards of his creator and He is
represented as manifesting his concern,
and the language which is proposed as a
query was that which would best convey
to our understandings, the tenderness
and love with which the Eternal viewed
us, the highest order of his lower crea
tion. We conclude, Coi repents, not by
changing his mind, affection or purpose,
but the manner of his work; so he repent
ed that he had made man, when he chan
ged the course of his providence towards
them as men do, when they repent and
change their minds as one determined to
destroy and pull them down Gen. vi. G,
7 1 Samuel, xv. 11. Sometimes his
repentance imports his compassionate ri
sing up for the deliverance of his ser
vants after he had seemed determined to
destroy them Dent, xxxii. 3G Psalm,
exxxv. 14 -llosea, xi. 8 Jonah, 3. 10.
From the foregoing view we conclude
that God retains his immutability, and on
this score Moses is no blasphemer. As
it does not affect his immutability, so it
derogates not from his essential happiness.
Another query commences, "Moses
states the Lord informed him, that he
had hardened Pharaoh's heart and that
because He had done this, Paraoh was
compelled to refuse permission to the Is
raelites to depart. And can wo believe
that the Deity did actually punish Pha
raoh for not doing that which Deity had
made impossible to be done? or must we
believe that Moses was a blasphemer?"
The case of Pharaoh has given rise to
much controversy and to some strange
and conflicting opinions, and perhaps
among the strange opinions we may
place the above query. If wc would
carefully and minutely examine the whole
account, we should be more apt to find
out the truth. The verb which we trans
late to harden, literally signifies to
strengthen, confirm, make bold or cour
ageous, and is often used in the sacred
writings to excite to duty, perseverance,
&c. and is placed by the Jews at the end
of most of the books in the bible as an
exhortation to the reader to take courage
and proceed with the reading and with
the obedience it requires. It constitutes
an essential part of the exhortation of
VjtuJ to Joshua, ch. i. 7: "Only be thou
strong" and Joshua's dying charge to
the people, ch. xxiii. G: "Be ye therefore
very courageous to do and to keep all
that is Written in the law." Now it would
be very strange in these places to trans
late the word, harden, "Only be thou
hard" "Be ve tllefore very hard," &c.
Now suppose we apply the word in this
way to Pharaoh; the sense would be
good and the justice of God equally con
spicuous. tl will make his heart hardy,
bold, daring, presumptuous for the same
principle acting against God's order is
presumption, which when acting accord
ing to it, is undaunted courage. It is
true a different verb is used in chap. viii.
3, which signifies to render stiff, tough,
stubborn, but it amounts nearly to the
same with the above. Every person ac
quainted with the bible well knows that
God is represented as doing what he on
ly permits to be done. So because a man
has grieved his spirit and resisted the
proffered grace, lie withdraws from him
that spit it and grace and thus the man
becomes bold and presumptuous, or hard.
Pharaoh made his own heart stubborn
against God, and He gave him up to ju
dicial blindness so lhat he rushed on
presumptuously to his destruction. If
we take into consideration the character
of Pharaoh, we shall find him such a one
altogether as called forth a display of the
power of Deity. When Moses first ad
dressed him, he presumptuously demands
"Who is Jehovah?" And from the whole
history of Pharaoh and his frequent con
fessions and more frequent sins, we plain
ly perceive the cause of his punishment;
and upon the whole, we must acknowl
edge t hat the permission of these things,
was for the good of the Egyptians and
Israelites. The Israelites were convin
ced that the Lord Jehovah was the only
true God and thereby they could rely on
him for protection in their extremity;
and on the other hand the Egyptians
were brought to discover that the many
gods which they worshipped could not
be compared to the true God, and con
sequently their esteem and veneration
was lessened. If Pharaoh had consented
at once for the children of Israel to leave
his dominions, those great ends would
not have been answered. No doubt for
the encouragement of the Israelites on
the one hand and the destruction of the
confidence of the Egyptians in their
idols on the other, that these things were
wisely permitted. And in the whole af
fair we see nothing at all with regard to
the eternal state of Pharaoh or the Egyp
tians. It is said in the xi. chap, that Pharaoh
shall not hearken unto you thai my won
ders may be multipliedthough shall
and will are both reputed signs of the fu
ture tense and by many indiscriminately
used, yet they make a most essential dif
ference in many cases: For instance, if
we translate the original words, Pharaoh
shall not hearken as in our text, the word
shall strongly intimates that it was im
possible for Pharaoh to hearken, and lhat
God had placed him under lhat impossi
bility: but if we translate as we should,
Pharaoh icill nut hearken, it alters the
case most essentially and agrees with
many passages in the scripture where he
is said to harden his own heart: and this
proves, that he without any impulsive ne
cessity, obstinately refused to attend to
what Moses said or threatened; and God
on account of his obstinacy wrought ano
ther miracle and thus multiplied his won
ders in the land. Pharaoh will not hear
ken unto you, and because he would not
God hardened his heart, i. e. left him to
his own obstinacy. The heart of Pha
raoh was hardened from his sinning yet
more, and hardening his own heart
against the judgments and mercies of
God, chap. ix. 34. - And should we be
surprised, that after God had given him
tho means of softening and repentance,
and he had in every instance resisted and
abused them, he should at last have been
left to the hardness and darkness of his
own obstinate heart, so as to fill up the
measure of his iniquity and rush head
long to his destruction. Had it have
been impossible for Pharaoh in all the
plagues to have humbled himself and re
pented, can we suppose that God could
have addressed him in language like this:
"How long wilt thou refuse to humble
thyself before me?" We may be assu
red there always was a time in whiclx
I'liarnoh might have relented, and it was
because he hardened himself at such
times, that God is said to harden him,
that is, gave him up to his own stubborn
and obstinate heart. And from the con
fession of Pharaoh himself, we perceive
he did not conceive himself under any
impulsive necessity, for he says to Mo
ses, "I have sinned against the Lord thy
God and against thee."
The above remarks we hope are suffi
cient, unless the querist is disposed to
think, that he can scan all the ways of
Providence and if so, we would address
him as the little boy did St. Augustine
when the saint perceived that the little?
boy had scooped a hole on the sea shore
and with his hand was endeavoring to
draw the ocean into it
"O! foolish boy," the saint exclaimed, "to hope
That the broad ocean in that hole should lie!"
"O! foolish saint!" exclaimed the boy, thy scope
Is still more hopeless than the toil I ply:
Who thinkest to comprehend God's nature high,
In the small compass of thine human wit;
Sooner, Augustine, sooner far shall I
Confine the ocean in this tiny pit,
Than finite minds conceive God's nature infinite.'
A few words more with regard to tho
advice of Moses to the Israelites to bor
row all the jewelry, &c. they could of tho
Egyptians. The querist wishes to know
whether God did direct such a fraud to
be committed? On this we will give yon
more of the ideas of one of the most cor
rect biblical critics, who though now dead
yet may speak in this communication.
Speaking of the present version on this
point, he observes of the word borrow,
"this is not certainly a very correct trans
lation. The original signifies simply to
ask9 request, demand, require, inquire,
&c. but it does not signify to borroio, in
the proper sense of that word: though in
very few places of scripture it is thus
used. In this place the word signifies to
ash or demand,(nd not to borrow, which
is a gross mistake, into which scarcely
any ancient or modern version has fallen
but our own. The European versions
are generally correct on this point and
our common English version is almost
(he sole transgressor. 1 say the com
mon version, which following the biblo
translated by Beck in 1549, gives us tho
exceptionable term borrow. God com
manded the Israelites to ask or demand
a certain recompense for their past ser
vices, and lie inclined the hearts of tho
Egyptians to give liberally; and this, far
from being a matter of oppression,
wrong, or even charity, was no more than
a partial recompense for their long and
painful services. Our exceptionable
translation of the original has given some
countenance to the desperate cause of in
fidelity; its abettors have exult ingly said,
"Moses represents the justGod as order
ing the Israelites to borrow the goods of
the Lgypttans, under pretence of return
ing them; whereas he intended they
should run off with the booty." Let these
men know that there was no borrowing
in the case, and that if accounts were
fairly balanced, Egypt would be found
still in considerable arrears to Israel.
Let it also be considered that the Egyp
tians had never any right to the services
of the Hebrews. Egypt owed its policy,
its opulence, and even its political exist
ence to the Israelites. What had Joseph
for his important services? Noihingi
He had neither district nor city nor lord
ship in Egypt; nor did he reserve any
for his children. All his services were
continued on the last page.)